The Week in Review

Welcome to our Friday feature, Week in Review. Every Friday, RCR Wireless News will run through the major events of the past week, outlining what happened and speculating on what to look for in the coming weeks. Check below for news about carriers, handset makers, content companies, infrastructure vendors and more.
Carriers
–AT&T Mobility announced an over-the-air music downloading service, finally bringing the nation’s largest carrier on par with Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel, which have long offered wireless full-track downloads. However, AT&T Mobility’s music catalogue so far consists of tunes from independent seller eMusic. Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless beat out Apple Inc.’s iTunes to exclusively carry AD/DC’s catalogue.
–An MVNO called Prexar announced it acquired the customer assets of Amp’d Mobile Inc. Prexar hopes the move will help catapult it onto the national stage.
–Verizon Wireless announced it will acquire Rural Cellular Corp. for $2.7 billion. The move will boost Verizon Wireless’ subscriber base by around 700,000 customers, but still doesn’t put the carrier ahead of market leader AT&T Mobility in terms of subscribers.
Handsets
–Nokia Corp. showed significant gains in the global handset market in the second quarter, nabbing share from struggling competitor Motorola Inc. However, Nokia’s U.S. handset sales still lag, and investors may not take kindly to Nokia’s continued struggles in the U.S. market.
–Apple got slammed with a lawsuit concerning the battery-replacement charges for its new iPhone. The company had no comment on the issue, though it’s likely to drag at the iPhone’s hype.
Content
–CBS outlined its laser focus on the mobile channel with the selection of four mobile advertising vendors. The race is now on for the rest of the nation’s major media conglomerates to organize their mobile ad efforts.
Other
–The FCC issued a ruling on the 700 MHz spectrum auction, allowing for limited open access on some of the spectrum while diverting another chunk to a shared-use scenario between commercial and public-safety interests. Now the question becomes: Who will bid on such spectrum?
COMING IN MONDAY’S ISSUE OF RCR WIRELESS NEWS
–700 MHz: The rules, the winners and losers, and what’s next.
–Touchscreens are the new black. Reporter Phil Carson looks at what’s on tap for fourth-quarter devices.
–An exclusive look at U.S. handset sales.